Scotland names a date for the 2017 World Championships

BADMINTONscotland are delighted to announce that the TOTAL BWF World Championships at Glasgow’s Emirates Arena will be staged from August 21-27 in 2017.

The World Championships will bring together the best players from across the globe during an action-packed week of competition at the £113million Emirates Arena – the same venue that hosted the badminton event at the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games.

Organisers are vowing to deliver an event of the very highest quality, with BADMINTONscotland Chief Executive Anne Smillie today urging volunteers and fans to put the dates firmly in their diary and plan their holidays to ensure that they can be part of the action at the Emirates.

She said: “It will be the third time we have staged a World Championships and we are keen to carry on the momentum gained at the Commonwealth Games badminton tournament in the same arena last summer.

“We can look forward to welcoming badminton fans, players, officials and volunteers from all over the world and I urge Scotland supporters to keep the dates free so they can come along to the Emirates and cheer on the home players.

"We are particularly keen to encourage our marvellous volunteers because we are only too well aware that a matter of weeks after the World Championships we will be relying on many of them again when we stage our annual Scottish Open Grand Prix at the Emirates Arena."

Scotland first staged a World Championships in 1997 in a two-week celebration of badminton which began with the Sudirman Cup World Team Championships and was followed by the individual competition.

The Sudirman Cup returned to Glasgow in 2007. Now Scottish badminton fans are looking forward to August 2017 for another great celebration of the sport in the 6,000-seater Emirates Arena.

The event was secured by Glasgow in the Peruvian capital of Lima in November thanks to the special partnership between BADMINTONscotland, Glasgow City Council, Glasgow Life and EventScotland.

Ms Smillie said: “We have a magnificent venue in the Emirates Arena, which hosted the Commonwealth Games badminton event last summer, and an outstanding record of staging high-quality events with our 1997 World Championships and Sudirman Cup, the 2007 Sudirman Cup and two European Championships.

“Being awarded the most prestigious event in world badminton once again reflects the high esteem with which we are held by the BWF. They can depend on us to put on a fabulous World Championships and the planning has already begun.”

Councillor Gordon Matheson, Leader of Glasgow City Council, said: “Glasgow is rightly regarded as one of the world’s top 10 sporting cities – a position built on our investment in world-class facilities and our international events programme.

“We are looking forward to once again welcoming the world’s very best badminton players to the Emirates Arena for what will be seven days of top-class action at the 2017 World Badminton Championships.

“Badminton was one of the success stories of the best ever Commonwealth Games, with Glasgow’s Kirsty Gilmour winning Team Scotland’s 53rd and final medal in front of a packed crowd at the Emirates Arena.

“The World Championships will allow us build on our proud record of hosting badminton events and take the sport to a new level. But more than that it will inspire the next generation of home-grown badminton players and help increase participation levels across the city.”

Paul Bush OBE, Chief Operating Officer for EventScotland said: “With the dates confirmed, badminton fans around the world can begin to plan a visit to Glasgow for the 2017 World Championships at the Emirates Arena. Glasgow and Scotland have much to offer as a destination, and these Championships will undoubtedly be a strong reason for fans to travel to the city.

“Scotland is the perfect stage for events and we look forward to welcoming the global badminton community. The Championships will also resonate with our passionate volunteering sector here in Scotland and further afield and we look forward to providing a high-profile opportunity for people to continue on their journey in sport.”